Sunshine over most parts of the country

Apart from a few showers across the Northern, North-Central, Eastern and Uva Provinces, the other parts of the country will have more sunshine and fewer rains today, the Met. Department said yesterday.

The Duty Meteorologist said showers or thundershowers would occur elsewhere after 2.00 p.m.

The weather forecast issued at 4.00 p.m. yesterday said fairly heavy showers of more than 75mm were expected to occur in the Eastern, Northern and North-Central Provinces and fairly strong winds of up to 50kmph were also likely in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts.

The Met Department said the adverse weather conditions and the impact of the recent low pressure area over the country was expected to decrease gradually while another low-pressure area which had developed over Andaman Island was expected to move towards India brushing past Sri Lanka by Tuesday. The duty meteorologist told Daily Mirror that the low pressure area had reduced to an atmospheric disturbance by yesterday however the Met Department believes it would develop into a low pressure area again during the next few days.

He said according to the global forecasts, winds of up to70kmph were expected over the deep sea off the Eastern coast on Tuesday and that the Northern parts of the country could expect up to 80mm rain.

Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) report issued at 1300 hours (IST) said the well marked low pressure area over the northern Sumatra coast and the adjoining south Andaman Sea was over southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining south Andaman Sea & equatorial Indian Ocean with associated cyclonic circulation extends up to 5.8 km above mean
sea level.

“It is very likely to become a depression over southeast Bay of Bengal and the neighbourhood during next 24 hours and a deep depression during the subsequent 48 hours. It is very likely to move towards north Tamil Nadu­ south Andhra Pradesh coasts during next 3­4 days,” it said. Meanwhile, the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) had extended the landslide warnings issued to six districts concerning the prevailing inclement weather conditions.

It advised people living in hilly areas in Kalutara, Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Ratnapura and Badulla district to be vigilant if the rains continued.

Meanwhile, Police said the number of deaths reported during the heavy rains and strong winds had increased to 14 with 77 injured. Meanwhile, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said some 1 17 746 people from 33,973 families were affected by the adverse weather conditions and more than 762 houses destroyed with some 29,246 houses partially damaged.